Chapter Fifteen: The New Neighbors of the Duke of Anle's Mansion

After the victorious grand army returned, Luoyang settled back into its usual tranquil routine. While the victory celebration of that year was a rare spectacle unseen for decades, it was the long, steady lives of the capital’s commoners that were truly irreplaceable. For the farmers, rising with the sun and resting with the moon, continuing their lineage through the endless cycle of day and night had become an instinct. In their limited memories, war was a distant concept. No one could recall when the last major battle had taken place in Luoyang; after all, that was nearly ninety years in the past.

However, for the Duke of Anle’s mansion, the impact of the conquest of Wu was stark and tangible.

The imperial court had been willing to support the Duke of Anle with a generous stipend for two reasons: first, to appease the remnants of the Shu-Han people; and second, to showcase their own magnanimity, thereby weakening the resistance of the people of Wu. Now that the court had ruled over Liang and Yi for eighteen years and the state of Sun Wu had perished, maintaining the old standards was no longer appropriate.

Consequently, a few days after the victory celebration, Zhang Hua, the Minister of Finance, submitted a memorial to the Emperor. He argued that since the world was now pacified, the strategy of governance should shift from external expansion to internal development, much like the policies of Emperor Wu of Han or the era of Zhao and Xuan. The primary issue in governance was finance, and the essence of finance was to broaden sources of income and reduce expenditure—with the latter being of paramount importance at present. The first item in Zhang Hua’s proposal was the reduction of the stipends for the surrendered generals of Eastern Wu and the Duke of Anle.

In this proposal, Zhang Hua suggested demoting General of Chariots and Cavalry Sun Kai to General Who Conquers the North, and General of Agile Cavalry Sun Xiu to General Who Calms the Waves, cutting their stipends in half while retaining only their authority to maintain a private staff. As for the Duke of Anle, Liu Xun, Zhang Hua cited his lewd and licentious behavior and lack of moral character as grounds to reduce his fiefdom from the ten thousand households of Anle County in Yuyang Commandery to the one thousand eight hundred households standard for a regular county duke.

Once the proposal was approved, the income of the Duke of Anle’s mansion plummeted to less than a tenth of what it had been. Under the current system, although the mansion held a fief, only one-third of its revenue actually entered the household coffers; the remaining two-thirds had to be turned over to the imperial court. Furthermore, a portion of the taxes that did reach the mansion had to be set aside as salaries for the fief’s officials. Only after subtracting transport losses from Yuyang to Luoyang was the remainder available for the Duke’s use.

This reduction had a profound impact on the life of the mansion. Although the Duke of Anle had not yet been fully accepted by the capital’s gentry, the necessary social obligations could not be shirked. In previous years, when the stipend was sufficient, there was always plenty left over after managing social relations. As long as it was not a year of famine, the brothers Liu Xun and Liu Zan could afford their indulgences—fine wines and delicacies, dog fighting, bull racing, and revelry with courtesans. But now, such things were nothing more than a pipe dream. Several times, when Liu Xian returned from Chen Shou’s place, he would hear his mother, Zhang Ximiao, clicking away on her abacus in the study; when she spoke to him, the gentle corners of her eyes were clouded with sorrow.

In the days that followed, arguments erupted within the mansion. Money matters were, after all, the most damaging to affection, and even blood brothers were no exception.

The relatives who had previously relied on the mansion—Liu Xian’s three uncles, six cousins, and various other kin—all crowded into the house, declaring they would not rest until the accounts were settled, each arguing their own case. The elders felt their portions should be reduced less, while the younger ones refused to suffer a loss. Sometimes the uncles would agree, only for their wives to protest, and even when an agreement was reached in the morning, someone would renege by the afternoon. The Duke of Anle, Liu Xun, grew tired of the disturbance and simply hid in the back courtyard, leaving all these matters to Zhang Ximiao.

But how could Ximiao pacify them? After ten days of arguing, it was to no avail. Finally, the senior Lady Fei Xiu had to step in to restore order, and Ximiao led by example, cutting her own household expenses, which finally silenced the relatives. The mansion’s former lifestyle of extravagance was, naturally, gone forever.

During this time, Liu Xian could not bear to stay at home. When his mother and the relatives were calculating accounts, he could not get a word in, and when he returned to his room to read, no matter how tightly he shut the door, the voices of his aunts, uncles, and cousins would penetrate the walls like a swarm of hornets. Unable to endure it, Liu Xian simply took his books to the front gate to read in peace. Even the hawking of street vendors was more pleasant than the bickering inside, and he found he could finally calm his mind.

One day, as he was reading the *Han Records of the Eastern Lodge* at the gate, he heard the rumbling of carriage wheels, which came to a stop right in front of the main entrance. Thinking someone had come to visit, Liu Xian looked up and was startled: a great many people had arrived!

Six carriages were lined up in front of the mansion. Beside each carriage stood a dozen people, including several fully armed iron guards, whose armor and weapons clattered like silver bells with every step. Dozens of people descended from the carriages—men and women, old and young. Liu Xian did not recognize them, but when he saw the two figures leading the group, he was shocked: why were they here?

The two men were Zhang Hua, the Minister of Finance, and Sun Hao, the Marquis of Returning Allegiance.

The Zhang residence was right next door to the Duke of Anle’s mansion, and since the two families saw each other constantly, Liu Xian was very familiar with Zhang Hua. He wore his usual attire: wide robes, a broad sash, and long sleeves fluttering in the breeze. With a fan in one hand and his beard in the other, he appeared elegant and refined. The faint scent of incense about him could not mask his brilliant aura; one could tell at a glance that he was a man of distinction in the imperial court.

As for Sun Hao, Liu Xian had seen him just days before at the victory celebration. He remembered their brief exchange of glances. Looking at him now from up close, Sun Hao was dressed in a black, narrow-sleeved robe, which made his skin appear deathly pale—a sign of excessive indulgence. Yet, this did not diminish the blade-like quality of his gaze; wherever his eyes swept, he instilled a sense of dread, as if one were about to be flayed alive.

Zhang Hua, standing mere inches away, remained composed. He walked forward a few steps, pointed to the residence opposite, and said with a smile, "Marquis, this is your new residence. From today on, we are neighbors."

Sun Hao replied expressionlessly, "To be a neighbor to the Emperor’s pillar of state is a blessing I have earned over many lifetimes. But unfortunately, I am a man of ill fortune; having been a ruler of a puppet state for years, few good things ever happened around me, and among the friends and family I have known, none have met a good end."

Meeting this cold rebuke, Zhang Hua simply laughed heartily. He waved his feather fan and said, "Marquis, you are truly joking. Did you not encounter a good thing this year?"

"What good thing?"

"Meeting a wise sovereign and seeing the world at peace."

Such thinly veiled sarcasm infuriated Sun Hao, causing a flush to rise to his pale face. Unable to lash out, he could only let his anger simmer within. Zhang Hua did not give him the opportunity to respond; after a few more perfunctory pleasantries, he bowed to Sun Hao. As he turned, he saw Liu Xian standing in front of the Duke of Anle’s mansion, smiled at him, and strolled away.

Sun Hao’s attendants began moving furniture and luggage into the residence, while Sun Hao stood in a daze.

What was he thinking? Among the crowd, Liu Xian stared at him involuntarily. Sun Hao’s temperament was so unique; he stood on the same street as him, yet his soul seemed elsewhere. People were so close to him, yet his cold, indifferent gaze acted like an invisible barrier. This inexplicably reminded Liu Xian of his father, Liu Xun; it seemed there were some shared traits in his father’s absurd behavior and this man’s presence.

Just then, a servant accidentally bumped into Sun Hao while moving a crate. Sun Hao flew into a rage, immediately kicking the servant in the leg and cursing, "What, you too wish to insult me?"

The servant immediately knelt and kowtowed like he was pounding garlic, begging for mercy: "Marquis, Marquis, I am blind! I truly did not do it on purpose!"

Upon hearing the word "Marquis," Sun Hao grew even more furious. He drew the sword from his waist, his inner resentment transforming into a cruel, cold smile: "Very well, if you are truly blind, then this matter is settled!"

The servant was terrified, weeping and kowtowing until blood stained his forehead. The surrounding crowd stood in fearful silence. Only the Marquis’s wife, Teng Fanglan, tugged at Sun Hao’s sleeve, but he remained unmoved.

At this moment, Liu Xian stepped forward and walked straight up to Sun Hao. "Why are you harming people?" he asked.

Sun Hao looked up at him, startled at first, as if he did not recognize Liu Xian. Then, a flush rose to his face again, clearly taking the question as an insult.

He did not have time to think and immediately intimidated him: "Whose child are you? How dare you interfere in my affairs?"

Liu Xian bowed formally and stated his lineage: "My father is Liu Xun, the current Duke of Anle, who lives right across from your residence."

Hearing that he was of the Shu-Han imperial clan, Sun Hao was taken aback, then offered a mocking smile: "Do you know who I am?"

"I know. You are Sun Hao, the Marquis of Returning Allegiance, the former ruler of Jiangdong."

"Since you know, why interfere? Do I need your approval to discipline my own servants?" Sun Hao’s eyes burned like ghost fire, his shoulders hunched like the wings of a vulture, and his whole body radiated an unsettling aura.

He continued with a cold sneer: "Have you not heard what I loved doing most when I was Emperor in Jianye? Nothing else but flaying the skin off the living!"

Liu Xian nodded and said, "I have heard of this in Luoyang, but I thought it was just a rumor."

This remark stunned Sun Hao. His body relaxed, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Liu Xian continued, "My teacher told me that the world always favors the victor and condemns the loser, assuming the winner is flawless and all-powerful, while the loser is evil and useless, but in reality, that is not the case."

"For years, Sun Hao was able to resist a stronger force with a weaker one, winning twice in Jiaozhi and Xiling, which shows you are not a fool. Your eventual defeat was simply due to the inevitable trend of the times and being outnumbered—something human effort could not overcome. Therefore, my teacher said, how could such a man truly enjoy flaying people? The accusations I have heard in the past are likely exaggerations."

Hearing this, much of Sun Hao’s anger and murderous intent dissipated. He waved his hand, signaling the servant to get up. The expression on his face turned numb, eventually softening into an indescribable sense of desolation. He sighed and said:

"Those were not rumors. I truly have flayed many people."

"Why did you do it?"

"You don’t understand. Because at that time, I was the Emperor. For an Emperor to kill to establish authority is the most natural thing in the world."

Sun Hao no longer had the interest to continue the conversation. Talking to a child about these things made him feel foolish. Finally, he whispered wearily to himself: "Zhang Hua was right. Those days are over."

He stopped looking at Liu Xian, turned, and stepped into his residence. His wife, Teng Fanglan, took some candied fruit from her luggage as a gift for Liu Xian before following him inside. The other servants hurriedly resumed their work, and the servant Liu Xian had saved offered a quick word of thanks before rushing back to join the team.

Liu Xian stood where he was, still feeling a bit dazed. After the brief conversation, he suddenly felt that this new neighbor was remarkably like his own father.